Obama talks guns, drugs in Mexico

5/3/13 11:27 AM EDT

President Obama on Friday addressed some major concerns in Mexico: The flow of guns and drugs across the U.S.-Mexican border.

"In the United States, we recognize our responsibilities. We understand that much of the root cause of violence that’s been happening here in Mexico for which so many Mexicans have suffered is the demand for illegal drugs in the United States, he said during a speech at the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. "And so we've got to continue to make progress on that front."

Obama said he is firmly against legalizing drugs and instead supports a comprehensive approach to combating demand that includes education, treatment and prevention as well as law enforcement.

"And we also recognize that most of the guns used to commit violence here in Mexico come from the United States," he said. "I think many of you know that in America, our Constitution guarantees our individual right to bear arms, and as president, I swore an oath to uphold that right and I always will.

"But at the same time, as I've said in the United States, I will continue to do everything in my power to [pass] common-sense reforms that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people, that can save lives here in Mexico and back home in the United States. It’s the right thing to do."

The president's remarks come as Vice President Biden prepares a renewed push on gun control after the defeat last month of the administration's first attempt to stiffen restrictions following the December shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn. The timing appears to be coincidental, though -- POLITICO's Reid Epstein reports on the home page that Biden hasn't told the president about his plans.